“For me, I think that would be where I would look at this bill and go this makes sense when we are in the middle of nowhere,” says Grant, “and something occurs on scene.”

Grant says if paramedics know they are going to a violent home then they usually wait for the sheriff’s department to secure the scene and then arrive.

Tuesday representatives from MedStar which covers Tarrant County spent the day in Austin talking to lawmakers about the bill.

“We don’t necessary want to introduce a weapon on ourselves into a scene that quite frankly may be used against us or someone else at the scene,” says Matt Zavadsky with MedStar.

The bill doesn’t affect Fort Worth responders now, but MedStar is concerned it will eventually.

“We believe that as good corporate citizens, as good citizens of the community, we need to help our legislative officials make good decisions,” explains Zavadsky. “We believe that if the state wants to enable communities to make that a local decision, that’s OK. But it really needs to be driven based on the local community desires their emergency medical services providers to be able carry.”

In Cooke County the idea is winning support, but Grant insists training would have to be key.

“If you are going to put paramedics – EMT’S – in that position, they need to have advance training not just a 10 hour CHL course,” says Grant. “I think you will also have to have policy and procedures in place to where – how are you going to secure the handgun if you have agitated patient -maybe mental ill patient in the back of the ambulance, because it’s such close quarters.”